Once Faria was outside , I decided to give him time so that one of my three outcomes could happen . I took a nap and woke up about an hour later to voices coming from the direction of Faria ’ s cell . I immediately thought he must have been caught by the guards , meaning they must be patrolling the area near the window , making it impossible to escape . After a few moments , however , I realized that they had just arrived , causing me to wonder why it took them so long . If the guards were patrolling the windows , it would have provoked an immediate reaction taking place while I was still awake . I listened intently and heard people , whom I presumed were guards , yelling at Faria for trying to escape . The scenario suddenly made sense : guards weren ’ t patrolling the window but were rather nearby , and Faria must have found a way past them . However , he must have been moving slowly ; after all , he was an old and nearly paralyzed man . This must have resulted in the guards finally catching sight of him and bringing him back to his cell angrily , which I had woken up to . All of this sprung an idea into my head . If Faria was distracting the guards , maybe I could escape . I ran to the window and tried to make as little noise as possible as I climbed the bars . I ended up in the same grassy area as Faria had an hour or so before , and with a deep breath , ran as fast as I could and didn ’ t look back . It was as if I were fleeing for my life in an ocean full of hungry sharks , only it was I who was heading towards them at gunpoint from the other side .
~ Max D .
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